• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.40 no.4
• /
• pp.388-393
• /
• 2009

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been implicated in the development of diabetic complications. The AGEs inhibitors or cross-link breakers attenuate various functional and structural manifestations of diabetic complications. In this study, 64 herbal medicines from China and Vietnam have been investigated with an in vitro evaluation system using AGEs inhibitory activity. Of these, eight herbal medicines ($IC_{50}$<50 ${\mu}g$/ml) were found to have strong AGEs inhibitory activity compared with aminoguanidine (14 days, $IC_{50}$=75.98 ${\mu}g$/ml; 28 days, $IC_{50}$=88.27 ${\mu}g$/ml). Particularly, four herbal medicines, Buddleja officinalis (whole plant), Syzygium cuminii (leaf), Eugenia caryophyllate (seed), and Paeonia suffruticosa (root) showed more potent inhibitory activity (approximately 5-6 fold) than the positive control aminoguanidine.

• Research in Community and Public Health Nursing
• /
• v.27 no.4
• /
• pp.299-308
• /
• 2016

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to develop a positive psychology-based and character strengths-integrated activity program for elders living alone in rural areas, and then to examine the effectiveness of the program. Methods: A quasi-experimental pre- and post-test design with a nonequivalent control group was used. The participants included 59 elders in total, of whom 30 were assigned to the experimental group and 29 to the control group. positive psychology-based and character strengths-integrated activity program for elders consists of sixty-minute sessions held twice per week during 6 weeks, hence 12 sessions in total. Results: There were significant differences between the experimental and control groups in depression, vitality and life satisfaction (all p<.001). Conclusion: The positive psychology-based and character strengths-integrated activity program for elders living alone in rural areas is effective in that it decreased the degree of depression and increased the vitality and life satisfaction in the participants.

• International conference on construction engineering and project management
• /
• 2013.01a
• /
• pp.570-575
• /
• 2013

Enhancing utilization of buildings is gaining in importance in response to a challenging economy; thus, there is a need for a method that analyzes space, user, and user activity in an integrated way to provide project stakeholders with utilization information to support their decision-making about buildings. Conventional methods, such as architectural programming and post-occupancy evaluation, lack a formal relationship between user activity and other information, and therefore, are coarse-grained. This relationship has been formalized by two relatively new methods that provide fine-grained utilization information: workplace planning and space-use analysis. We characterize these two methods with focuses on their usage in different phases (i.e., planning, design, occupancy), required information that needs to be gathered, and the achievement and limitations in terms of three criteria, i.e., consistency, efficiency, and transparency. This characterization would not only help project stakeholders select and use a method that best meets their purposes for enhancing utilization of their buildings, but also provide researchers with promising research topics regarding enhancing utilization of buildings.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.33 no.2
• /
• pp.191-198
• /
• 2023

As a member of the focal adhesion complex of the plasma membrane, Src is a nonreceptor tyrosine kinase that controls cell adhesion and motility. However, how Src activity is regulated in the plasma membrane microdomain in response to components of the extracellular matrix (ECM) remains unclear. This study compared and investigated the activity of Src in response to three representative ECM proteins: collagen type 1, fibronectin, and laminin. Genetically encoded FRET-based Src biosensors for plasma membrane subdomains were used. FRET-based biosensors allow the real-time analysis of protein activity in living cells based on their high spatiotemporal resolution. The results showed that Src activity was maintained at a high level under all ECM conditions of the lipid raft, and there was no significant difference between the ECM conditions. In contrast, Src activity was maintained at a low level in the non-lipid raft membrane. In addition, the Src activity of lipid rafts remained significantly higher than that of non-lipid raft regions under the same ECM conditions. In conclusion, this study demonstrates that Src activity can be controlled differently by lipid rafts and non-lipid raft microdomains.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.32 no.2
• /
• pp.148-154
• /
• 2022

Focal adhesion kinase (FAK) is known to regulate cell adhesion, migration, and mechanotransduction in focal adhesions (FAs). However, studies on how FAK activity is regulated in the plasma membrane microdomains according to the composition of extracellular matrix (ECM) proteins are still lacking. A genetically encoded fluorescence resonance energy transfer (FRET)-based biosensor can provide useful information on the activity of intracellular signals with high spatiotemporal resolution. In this study, we analyzed the FAK activities in lipid raft (detergent-resistant membrane) and non-lipid raft (non-detergent-resistant membrane) microdomains using FRET-based membrane targeting FAK biosensors (FAK-Lyn and FAK-KRas biosensors) under four different ECM protein compositions: glass, type 1 collagen, fibronectin, and laminin. Interestingly, FAK activity in response to laminin in a lipid raft microdomain was lower than that in other ECM conditions. Cells subjected to fibronectin showed higher FAK activity in a lipid raft microdomain than that in a non-lipid raft microdomain. Therefore, this study demonstrates that the FAK activity can be distinctively regulated according to the ECM type and the environment of the plasma membrane microdomains.

• Proceedings of the Safety Management and Science Conference
• /
• 2008.04a
• /
• pp.247-258
• /
• 2008

This paper purports to investigate the statistical basic principles through "TRIZ-used 6-sigma integrated activity design" and further, to raise "the importance of measuring technical innovative activities based on 6-sigma integrated design methodology by organization". This paper intends to investigate how the activities of the best conditions, which are necessary for the stage of 6-sigma design, are chosen in the TPM-based 6-sigma integration activities. And it will examine the options, when used together with other technique, in the probability statistical methodology. Through the combination of the situations which are chosen when activity techniques, which are mostly used for production and technology, and 6-sigma integration activities are used together, it intends to practically use as the basic data for company standards.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.26 no.10
• /
• pp.1687-1695
• /
• 2016

Ochratoxin A (OTA), a mycotoxin, contaminates agricultural products and poses a serious threat to public health worldwide. Microbiological methods are known to be a promising approach for OTA biodegradation because physical and chemical methods have practical limitations. In the present study, a total of 130 fungal isolates obtained from 65 traditional Korean meju (a fermented starter for fermentation of soybeans) samples were examined for OTA-biodegradation activity using thin-layer chromatography. Two fungal isolates were selected for OTA-biodegradation activity and were identified as Aspergillus tubingensis M036 and M074 through sequence analysis of the beta-tubulin gene. After culturing both A. tubingensis isolates in Soytone-Czapek medium containing OTA (40 ng/ml), OTA-biodegradation activity was analyzed using high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC). Both A. tubingensis strains degraded OTA by more than 95.0% after 14 days, and the HPLC analysis showed that the OTA biodegradation by the A. tubingensis strains led to the production of ochratoxin α, which is much less toxic than OTA. Moreover, crude enzymes from the cultures of A. tubingensis M036 and M074 led to OTA biodegradation of 97.5% and 91.3% at pH 5, and 80.3% and 75.3% at pH 7, respectively, in a buffer solution containing OTA (40 ng/ml) after 24 h. In addition, the OTA-biodegrading fungi did not exhibit OTA production activity. Our data suggest that A. tubingensis isolates and their enzymes have the potential for practical application to reduce levels of OTA in food and feed.

• Women's Health Nursing
• /
• v.17 no.1
• /
• pp.10-20
• /
• 2011

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of integrated menopause management program derived theoretical framework of King (1981)'s goal attainment theory model for middle aged women. Methods: This research was a nonequivalent control group non-synchronized design. The subjects of this study were 37 middle aged women in Busan and experiencing menopause; 17 for the experimental group and 20 for the control group. Experimental group was educated for 1 hour group interchange activity and five minutes individual interchange activity, once a week during 8 weeks. Measurement for comparison were taken two times, at baseline, 8wks. The effects were evaluated with menopause symptom, menopause knowledge, menopause attitude and menopause management. Results: The experimental group was significantly lower than control group on menopause symptom (F=5.936, p=.010) and higher than control group on menopause knowledge (F=12.031, p=.001) and menopause management (F=5.861, p=.010) after integrated menopause management program. However integrated menopause management program did not make significant differences on menopause attitude (F=0.105, p=.374). Conclusion: Results indicate that integrated menopause management program could be an effective intervention decreasing menopause symptom and for increasing menopause knowledge, menopause management in middle aged women.

• Molecules and Cells
• /
• v.45 no.8
• /
• pp.522-530
• /
• 2022

Transposable elements (TEs) account for approximately 45% of the human genome. TEs have proliferated randomly and integrated into functional genes during hominoid radiation. They appear as right-handed B-DNA double helices and slightly elongated left-handed Z-DNAs. Human endogenous retrovirus (HERV) families are widely distributed in human chromosomes at a ratio of 8%. They contain a 5'-long terminal repeat (LTR)-gag-pol-env-3'-LTR structure. LTRs contain the U3 enhancer and promoter region, transcribed R region, and U5 region. LTRs can influence host gene expression by acting as regulatory elements. In this review, we describe the alternative promoters derived from LTR elements that overlap Z-DNA by comparing Z-hunt and DeepZ data for human functional genes. We also present evidence showing the regulatory activity of LTR elements containing Z-DNA in GSDML. Taken together, the regulatory activity of LTR elements with Z-DNA allows us to understand gene function in relation to various human diseases.

• Korean Journal of Pharmacognosy
• /
• v.42 no.1
• /
• pp.46-53
• /
• 2011

Advanced glycation end products (AGEs) have been postulated to play a central role in the development of diabetic complications. A variety of different agents that inhibit AGEs have been under investigation. In this study, 66 herbal medicines from China have been investigated with an in vitro evaluation system using AGEs formation inhibitory activity. Of these, 31 herbal medicines ($IC_{50}$ < $50\;{\mu}g/ml$) were found to have significant AGEs formation inhibitory activity. Particularly, 5 herbal medicines, Camptotheca acuminata (branches and leaves), Quercus franchetii (branches), Camellia pitardii (leaves, branches, and fruits), Antidesma bunius (whole plants), and Loranthus parasiticus (whole plants) showed more potent inhibitory activity (approximately 6-20 fold) than the positive control aminoguanidine ($IC_{50}=52.96\;{\mu}g/ml$).